All the Right Moves
by sarann814
Summary: Ellora Prem is Sirius Black's only daughter, Harry Potter's godsister, and she's adopted. She just doesn't know it yet. Oh, and she loves kittens and apple pie. Set in PoA.
1. these are my confessions

**Hi! I thought I'd give my hand at writing fanfiction since I spend so much time reading them. Anyway, so every chapter's based off a song title and yeah, enjoy! :] **

**These are my confessions**

If you had the wondrous fortune of knowing who I was, you'd know that I've never been kissed, I'm tan all year long, I love kittens, I'm a terrible liar, excessive chocolate gives me terrible headaches, I love apple pie, I'm very short, and I'm Indian. Boring black hair, brown skin, but I've got gray eyes.

I'd think I was a bit crazy, too. It calls for fun stories, though.

And so I stood there at King's Cross, looking for a familiar face. Of course, my _loving_ parents couldn't make it because of their _demanding_ doctor jobs- I'm a Muggleborn- but hey, what can you do. It's not like I'd miss them or anything. Nope, not me.

I realized people were giving me strange glances as I stood in front of the barrier to platform 9¾. I walked through the barrier for the third time and found myself grinning widely at the sight of the glorious red train, the Hogwarts Express.

So. I'm 13 and I'm a Gryffindor. My name's Ellora Prem, but most people call me Lora. The Sorting Hat said I'd be miserable in Ravenclaw, which is where I figured I'd end up, because of my parents' smart genes. I'm in the same year as Harry Potter and his friends. I suppose we were friends, too- Hermione, Ron, and Harry were actually really cool, but we weren't close. At least, not as close as the three of them were. I don't think many people had that kind of friendship. To be honest, I've no idea why I'm a Gryffindor. There's nothing special about me. I haven't got many friends. Most of the time, it's just me and my kitten, Tinker.

I looked almost nothing like my parents. In first year, the Sorting Hat told me that "everything is not what it seems to be." I still have absolutely no idea what that even means. Bloody Sorting Hat. I have gray eyes but nobody in my family does. It's uncharacteristic for Indians to have gray eyes. A very small, paranoid part of me believed that I was adopted. It isn't that hard to believe. Besides the fact that I look nothing like my parents, they're never around. I mean, they aren't cruel to me; in fact, they're great most of the time. They're just never home because of their jobs. So we never really talk. Most of the time, it's just me, Tinker, and my too big house.

I got on the train and quickly found an empty compartment. I was early. Way too early. There was almost nobody on the train yet. _Wonderful. _I yawned and decided to take a quick nap, placing Tinker on my lap. Nobody would come through here, I concluded. I threw my trunk onto the top bench with a grunt- yes my muscles, they astound me as well. Tinker just sat on the seat as if to mock me. I rolled my eyes and curled up to the side of the seat and welcomed sleep with open arms.

I guess that quick nap turned into at least an hour long nap because I felt a soft tapping on my arm and found two pairs of brown eyes staring at me about two inches away from my face.

I almost screamed in their faces. While I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, I realized who was smirking at me. They were twins with red hair, so that could only mean-

"Fred and George Weasley. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Well, Lora, every compartment is pretty much full," George began.

"So we figured we'd grace you with our enlightening presence," Fred finished.

"Lucky me, then," I muttered to myself.

I wasn't close with them by any means. But you couldn't just ignore Fred and George. They were Fred and George. You had to talk to them. Not to mention, they were great to look at. The Weasleys were really a great family. So we were talking about everything and nothing- Quidditch:

"Wood's going to make us work our arses off this year,"

Their plans for their joke shop:

"Mum happens to think we'll amount to nothing," Fred said almost seriously.

And the Daily Prophet's newest hot topic:

"So you heard Sirius Black escaped Azkaban?" George asked casually.

"Of course! I don't know much about it though, I haven't really been in tune with the news," I replied.

"So you don't know he has a daughter and nobody knows where his wife's gone to?" Fred asked with genuine interest.

"No," I gave them a strange look, "I suppose I don't. Poor kid, though. How old is she?" I felt bad for his daughter, whoever she was. Must suck having a convict for a father and a missing mother.

"Around our age, give or take a few years. I heard she lives in the dungeons of Hogwarts because Dumbledore wants to keep an eye on her, you know, so she doesn't go on a killing spree like her dear old dad did," George said with enthusiasm in his voice.

"Yeah, maybe we should lock you both in there, too" I muttered, with a disbelieving eye roll.

"I'm wounded, Lora."

"That you'd even say such a thing, really."

"But it's okay, we'll forgive you."

"Kiss and make up, yeah?" Fred smirked.

Before I could reply, the train came to an unexpected stop and suddenly, my teeth were chattering and I was shivering. It was freezing in the compartment and this coldness felt sinister.

"Why'd we stop…" I let the question trail off. None of us had an answer. Goose bumps were rising on my arms, from fear or the cold, I didn't quite know. Tinker was curled into a ball, whimpering at the corner of the seat. Fred and George looked as nervous as I felt.

"It's nothing good, I'll tell you that much," Fred murmured."

"Look at the window…" George whispered. I turned my head and my eyes widened. The window was covered with ice. Completely covered with ice. I could feel panic flowing through my veins. I wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball and hope that it would end. Nothing could ever be right again. All the happiness was slowly washing away to some unreachable place. Why was I a Gryffindor again?

And then the compartment door slid open. A huge, black figure glided into the compartment effortlessly and suddenly the temperature plummeted even lower than it already was. The hair on my neck and arms were standing on an end, I could hear my heart pounding a mile a minute, and I could hear the blood surging through my veins. Nothing was worth living for. Everything meant nothing.

Dementors. It was a dementor.

I couldn't see Fred or George. It seemed that the dementor had taken an interest in me. It was gliding towards me and it seemed like death would have been a better fate than this. I barely realized that I was trying to get as far from it as I could. I was so paralyzed with fear that I couldn't hear myself screeching. It was literally five inches from my face and suddenly there was screaming, a mixture of faces, crying, doors slamming, a bright flash of gray, and then nothing.

Review? :D

ps: song by usher


	2. marching on

**Marching On**

"Guys, I think she's waking up!" a particularly loud voice shouted.

"Do you mind keeping it down?" Ellora opened her gray eyes and was face to face with Fred Weasley's concerned face. It was a good look for him, she decided.

"Why is it that every time I wake up, it's your face that I see…" she mumbled to herself, not really caring who heard. She looked around the compartment and saw that they had company. In addition to Fred and George, there were Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley.

"What, are we having a party or something?" Her mind was in disarray. She couldn't figure out why her head was pounding or why it was so tense in the compartment.

"No, Lora. You passed out. The Dementors, remember?" Harry said kindly, holding out a piece of chocolate to her. "I passed out, too. Lupin said chocolate would make you feel better."

"I don't want chocolate," She protested. All she wanted to do was sleep and forget the Dementors.

Hermione took a seat next to her. "Lora, just eat it. You'll feel warm again."

Hermione seemed to know everything. So she gave in and ate the chocolate. Hermione was right, she did feel a lot better.

"Now the real question is, why were there Dementors on the train?" Ron asked.

"They were looking for Sirius Black, probably," George replied.

Ellora ignored them. She played with the end of her messy braid as she thought; she wanted to know why she passed out. Why had she seen gray, why had she heard screams and cries and why did the dementors come after her? It didn't make sense.

"Harry? You passed out, too right? Did you… see anything?"

"Yeah, I did actually. Well, I heard screaming and I saw the night my parents died," He had a look of surprise on his face, "Why? What did you see?"

"I heard screaming, and doors slamming and I saw gray. This doesn't make _any _sense. At all. Why would the dementors come after me to begin with? Why would they come after you?" Her ears were turning red with frustration. "Bloody magic. I should've stuck with my goal of being a doctor."

Hermione and Harry chuckled while Fred, George, and Ron looked clueless.

"I should probably go change into my robes," Ellora realized when she saw that everyone except her was wearing their Gryffindor robes. Ron, Harry, and Hermione took that as a sign to leave, and so it was just the three of them- Fred, George, and Ellora. She stood on her toes to grab her trunk, but she didn't have the strength to pull it down. Suddenly, she felt Fred- or George- behind her and he pulled the trunk down with ease. She felt her face burning and she quietly thanked his smirking self, grabbed her robes, and ran out of the compartment, but not after she yelled out, "Watch my cat!"

Fred was smirking widely and George rolled his eyes at his twin.

"She's _thirteen_, Fred. Really?"

Fred only shrugged noncommittally. She came back into the compartment looking less worn out than before. Her wavy, black hair was down, it wasn't too long, and her robes seemed to be eating her alive.

"You haven't been robe shopping in a while," George observed, "Have you?"

"No, my parents haven't the time to take me to Diagon Alley," Ellora felt her face heat up, "and I've had nobody to go with this summer." She said quietly, suddenly finding her nails very interesting.

There was a pregnant pause.

"So, erm, you think we're there yet? I mean that Dementor thing must've taken a good chunk of time, but then I was passed out for who knows how long, so we should almost be there, am I right?" Ellora said nervously. She always had a habit of rambling when she was nervous. When did it get so bloody awkward?

They were both giving her strange looks of confusion mingled with something else she couldn't quite place.

"Ehm, well, we'll go check, shall we, Fred?" George scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Right, yeah, let's…"

And so they quickly said goodbye and she knew they had no intention of coming back. Ellora took her kitten and placed him on her lap and said, "Well, Tinker, looks like it's just you and me now. Like always."

* * *

The train reached the castle soon after that. Ellora clambered out, still slightly out of it from the Dementor incident. She couldn't help but smile when she saw the brightly lit castle standing in front of her. Her second home. Really, she considered it her only home.

But home was where the heart was. So she said.

Ellora climbed into a carriage with her fellow Gryffindors, perhaps they were older than she was, or younger, she didn't remember. The same way they didn't remember who she was. She knew they wouldn't have recognized that she was a Gryffindor if it weren't for the robes. They made meaningless small talk and she was the first to leave the carriage. She watched wistfully as the first years wobbled off the boats and into the castle. She hoped she hadn't looked that ill before she was about to be Sorted.

Ellora walked into the Great Hall and took her place at the Gryffindor table. As Professor McGonagall was calling up first years to be Sorted, she made a promise to herself.

She was absolutely _not _going to be the shy girl who never spoke and kept to herself. She was going to make a name for herself. _No more self-pitying. _

Now, _there_ was that Gryffindor courage she always thought she lacked.

* * *

**A/N: I feel like such an idiot that I mentioned the joke shop while they were 3****rd**** years instead of 4****th**** years… I totally didn't catch that -_- and sorry for taking forever to update, life has gotten in the way! Also, thanks for the reviews :D **

**Oh yeah, if you could, tell me which POV you like best- I'm not sure if 3****rd**** or 1****st**** person is better, I'm still experimenting with both. Thanks! Don't forget to R&R! :D**


	3. high school never ends

**High School Never Ends**

**A/N:** **None of this is mine, except for Ellora. Everything you recognize is JK Rowling's. I included a few lines from PoA- also not mine. I'm really sorry for taking forever to update, I've been swamped with stuff and now I've finally found time. I've been really inspired because the movie just came out and I finished this the day it came out. ANYWAY, I'm rambling so enjoy! Don't forget to review :D **

* * *

The Great Hall was loud with the anxious chatter of the first years, the groans of the hungry people, the noise of the older students gossiping about each other, and the professors were warily casting eyes at their future and current students. The ceiling was as always decorated to fit the sky outside. Ellora never got enough of the way the moon shined or the way the stars twinkled identically to the sky above the castle. _Ah, magic._

Ellora saw Professor McGonagall hurrying towards her. She couldn't possibly be in trouble- not yet. Term had barely started…

"Miss Prem, I was alerted that you passed out on the train. No, you're not in trouble," She assured her with a small quirk of her otherwise thin lips, "We just want to make sure you are well."

Ellora must have had a look of guilt splashed across her face. "Okay, Professor, where to?"

Professor McGonagall strode towards the Hospital Wing, where Harry, Hermione, and Ron already were.

"Is this about the Dementor attack? 'Cause I'm fine, really," Ellora said, slowly backing away from the hospital-like environment she was in. She wasn't too fond of hospitals. The pale, white walls were _so_ uncomforting.

Madam Pomfrey gave her a look of complete disbelief.

"Harry gave me chocolate! I'm fine! See? My arms work, my legs work, and my brain works. Perfectly fine," Ellora said with a nervous smile.

Hermione gave her a sympathetic look. She knew how much Ellora detested hospitals.

"I still think you should stay here. You look awfully pale. You need medicine," Madam Pomfrey said firmly.

"We both had chocolate. We're just hungry. Right, Lora?" Harry saved her from Madam Pomfrey's claws.

"Yeah, I'm starving! My stomach can smell the food from here… It's about to cave in on itself. I feel like I haven't had food for _years_…" Ellora said dramatically while clutching her stomach. Harry was turning red from trying to keep himself from bursting out into peals of laughter.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Professor McGonagall asked Harry and Ellora sharply.

"Yes," they chorused, eager to get out of her watchful eyes.

"Very well. Kindly wait outside while I have a quick word with Miss Granger about her course schedule, then we can go down to the feast together."

They went outside the hospital wing to wait for Hermione to come out with McGonagall. It only took a few minutes and off they walked together to the Great Hall. They had already missed the Sorting, but it was all well and good because all Harry and Ellora were thinking of was _food_. And lots of it. As the three of them walked to the Gryffindor table, Ellora noticed that people were pointing and staring at both herself and Harry. _Nothing ever stays a secret here_.

She sat down next to Ron while Hermione and Harry sat across from them. She found her attention drawn to Headmaster Dumbledore. He had a certain air about him that made you just want to listen to whatever he had to say. Ellora felt a sense of calm envelope her as Dumbledore welcomed the new and current students back. He warned the students extensively of the Dementors, who would not show mercy. He introduced Professor Lupin, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, who was met with polite applause. And then Dumbledore announced that Hagrid would be the new Care of Magical Creatures professor. The Hall burst into loud applause, especially from Harry, Ron and Hermione.

Ellora made casual small talk with those around her as she ate her dinner: Indian trivialities and customs with Parvati Patil, the location of her Lucky Charms with Seamus Finnegan, and a rather one sided conversation about the wavy texture of her black hair with Lavender Brown (it was Lavender that was speaking).

Soon enough, it was time to go up to the Common Rooms, but not before Dumbledore's final warning to stay out of trouble. Ellora didn't miss how his eyes lingered on Harry for a moment. She took a deep breath and inhaled the familiar smells of her home. She felt more attachment to Hogwarts than to her own house, as guilty as she felt to think it, it was the whole truth. There was something missing from her life, but she just didn't know _what it was._

Everyone began to rise from the tables to head to the Common Rooms. Ellora left the table and saw Percy Weasley leading the Gryffindors to the Common Rooms and she fought the urge to trip the first years as they followed obliviously.

"Looks like someone's in a hurry," a familiar voice said from behind her. She almost jumped, but she restrained herself. She turned around and saw the faces of Fred and George Weasley.

"Yeah, you would be too if you passed out on a train and heard weird voices. It doesn't help that everyone seems to be enjoying the castle way too much," Ellora said to them.

"You make a fair point. Sure you don't belong in Ravenclaw? I'm sure there's quite a large-sized brain in that pretty head of yours," Fred said not so subtly.

She ignored his compliment, "You'd think I'd be in Ravenclaw, though wouldn't you? My parents are doctors."

Fred and George looked at each other in puzzlement. "Are those the people that fix the pipes?" George asked curiously.

It took all her self-control to not burst out laughing in their faces. She was having such a great time laughing with them even though it was perhaps their third or fourth time talking in all her three years that she didn't even realize how close they were to the Gryffindor Common Room.

"No, Georgie! They're like the Healers of the Muggle world. It's all quite fascinating, actually," Ellora said with a bright smile.

"I think I'll stick to magic, thanks," George replied, still a bit confused.

Ellora was still giggling at their pitiful expressions when the crowd in front of them began filtering through a door.

"Oh, we've arrived at the Fat Lady already!" Ellora said in surprise.

"Time goes by quickly when you're with us doesn't it?" Fred nudged her.

"I suppose you guys are good company. I approve of your existence," Ellora said solemnly.

"I suppose we can say the same about you as well, 'Lora," both Fred and George laughed mirthfully.

Ellora beamed brightly at them as they entered the portrait and parted ways. She gave them a little wave that signaled good night and bounced up into the girls' dormitory. She couldn't help the grin that refused to leave her caramel colored faced because of the prospect of new friends. She quickly changed into her pajamas, said good night to Parvati, Lavender, and Hermione and jumped into the familiar bed that gave her warmth.

_ I love people. _

* * *

**Another A/N: The chapter titles are names of songs. High School Never Ends is by Bowling for Soup, Marching On is by One Republic, These are my Confessions is by Usher and the story title- All the Right Moves is also by One Republic. :D**


	4. hello brooklyn

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize is JK Rowling's! **

**Hello Brooklyn**

* * *

It was an understatement to say that Ellora Prem was not looking forward to the next day. While she was quite excited about starting some of her new classes, she didn't want to deal with the taunting looks and nasty smirks that people-namely the Slytherins- would be giving her and Harry.

It was unsurprising to her that as soon as she entered the already filled Great Hall for breakfast; the first thing her gray eyes laid eyes on was Draco Malfoy doing impressions of both her and Harry passing out on the train. _He wasn't even in the bloody compartment. _She watched all the Slytherins howl with cruel laughter and point at her and Harry, who was already seated at the Gryffindor table with Ron and Hermione. She could feel her blood boiling and her ears slowly turning red, something that happened only when she was extremely angry or embarrassed.

Ellora brushed a stray strand of hair from out of her eyes and saw that Ron was waving over to her. She smiled widely at him and sat down next to him and across from Hermione. Harry was on the other side of Ron and Fred and George were a few seats away from them with their friends.

"Harry," she began slowly as she placed pancakes and sausages onto her plate, "Have you seen what the Slytherins are doing?"

"Yeah, unfortunately. I've been trying to ignore them," Harry pushed the food on his plate around with his fork unenthusiastically.

"You'd think their imitations would at least be spot on…" Ellora mused pensively, "They all just look like swans with broken legs trying to fly."

She watched curiously as Ron and Harry spit out the food that they were chewing in their mouths and roar with laughter.

"Manners, boys," Hermione said fondly.

"I heard Malfoy nearly wet himself on the train yesterday," a voice popped out of nowhere from next to Hermione, who nearly dropped her pumpkin juice in surprise.

"_George-_" Hermione began indignantly.

George ignored Hermione and Fred stood to take a seat on the other side of Hermione.

"Did he really? What's he being a complete tart for then? I guess we can't exactly ask you to demonstrate that for everyone to see and mock then, can we, George?" Ellora asked innocently with a smirk.

"Don't be vulgar, Ellora. It's not becoming for a young lady," George said with a smile.

"Oooh look, our new schedules are being passed down the table!" Hermione said excitedly.

Ellora couldn't help but be equally excited as well.

"What classes have you signed up for?" Ellora asked.

"Erm- the usual, and Divination, Muggle Studies, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes…" Hermione trailed off, the not the least bit deterred.

"Isn't that a bit much?" Ellora asked suspiciously. She didn't get an answer because her schedule was thrust in her hand at that moment.

"I've got Arithmancy at nine this morning, what about you guys?" Ellora asked.

"Divination," Ron and Harry replied simultaneously.

"Hermione's got Divination, Muggle Studies, _and _Arithmancy at nine. I know you're good, Hermione, but no one's _that _good. How're you supposed to be in three classes at once?" Ron said incredulously.

"Don't be silly," said Hermione shortly. "Of course I won't be in three classes at once."

Ellora raised a black eyebrow at her. _How was she going to manage three classes at the same time?_

"You're not taking Divination, Lora?" Harry asked.

"Nah, the whole subject seems a bit… unstable, if you ask me."

Hermione seemed to agree with her. Considering that neither Hermione, nor Harry nor Ron knew where the North Tower was located, they decided to get a move on. The three of them said goodbye to Fred, George, and Ellora and rushed off.

"You're not going?" George asked while grabbing a piece of toast.

"I've got time and the Arithmancy classroom is right by Gryffindor tower," Ellora informed him, "Do you _want _me gone?" she feigned hurt.

"Not at all, Lorie," Fred replied while also grabbing a piece of toast and a spoon of marmalade.

"You guys are like bottomless pits," she observed with a pensive look on her face, "You eat and eat and eat and you don't gain an ounce of fat…"

"You're going to give us a superiority complex, Lora," Fred grinned widely.

"Though, I do appreciate the compliment," George responded, grabbing yet another piece of toast.

Ellora rolled her warm, gray eyes and decided that it was time to head to class. She gathered her books, said goodbye to the twins and headed out of the Great Hall and to her Arithmancy class.

She was pleasantly surprised that her class was varied members of each House. She spotted Padma Patil, Ernie Macmillan, Blaise Zabini, Daphne Greengrass, and Hermione there along with several members from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw that she didn't know. _Doesn't Hermione have Divination?_

Professor Vector quickly took attendance and once he reached Ellora's name, he gave her a strange, pitiful look. _What did I do to deserve that? _He then spent the better part of the lesson explaining to them what they had signed up for. Ellora was fairly decent at Muggle mathematics, so she figured why not give Arithmancy a try? It was after all, magic in numbers. Her attention was captivated by the Professor. While she wasn't as intelligent as Hermione, she still tried her best in school.

It was close to the end of the period, so Professor Vector gave them a few minutes to chat with one another. Hermione took this time to ask Professor Vector a few questions- _typical-_ and Ellora wasn't really friends with anyone else there, save the occasional awkward small talk with Ernie and Padma. She was not dumb enough to strike up a conversation with the resident Slytherins in the room, not with the glares they were shooting her. _No wonder Slytherins haven't got any other friends. They're always walking around like they've got dung under their noses…_

She didn't notice an unfamiliar face with brown hair and bright, hazel eyes walking up to her and sitting down in front of her seat.

"Hello." The mystery boy said simply.

"Oh, hello. I'm Ellora Prem," Ellora said automatically.

"Alexander O'Connor," Alexander stuck out his hand and Ellora shook it, "But you can call me Alex."

"Okay, Alex. Sounds good. Much faster than saying Alexander O'Connor. What a mouthful. You wouldn't happen to be Irish would you? Are you and Seamus Finnegan working on a plot of deceit to steal my Lucky Charms?"

He cracked a wide smile at her, "My grand mum's Irish and no, I swear by Merlin's left buttock that I am not working with Finnegan to steal your Lucky Charms. I resent that."

Ellora studied him with her big, gray eyes for a few moments and declared with renewed clarity, "I like you. Let's be friends." She saw the striped blue tie around his neck and said, "Oooh, you're a Ravenclaw? Smarty-pants, aren't you?"

He gave her a cocky grin and replied, "You could say that. Not all Ravenclaws are bookworms, you know…"

"Oh yeah? What are you then?"

Before Alex could tell her exactly what he was, Professor Vector gave them their homework assignment- to read the first two chapters of their textbook by the next class. _At least there was no writing involved…Yet. _It was time for Transfiguration so Ellora said goodbye to Alex and went to look for Hermione to walk with her, but she was already gone. _Strange…_

So she walked by herself to Transfiguration, where she discovered that she was one of the first people there. Slowly but surely, the class filtered in and Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked in and sat in the back. Everyone was shooting furtive glances at Harry, who had his head bowed down. _Clearly, I'm missing something here._

She could not stop the sharp sting of hurt that surged through her when she realized that Hermione had left her for Harry and Ron.

Ellora barely noticed when Professor McGonagall turned into a cat, something that usually fascinated her.

"What has gotten into you all today?" asked Professor McGonagall. "Not that it matters, but that's the first time my transformation's not got applause from a class."

Hermione raised her hand and explained that they had gotten their tea leaves read in Divination.

And then the reason for the nervous glances at Harry was clear- "Which one of you will be dying this year?"

Harry slowly looked up and said, "Me."

Professor McGonagall proceeded to reassure Harry that Professor Trelawney made quite a few predictions of death amongst the students but none of them had come true. _This lady needs to be checked out_. Professor McGonagall went on to tell them about what they would be learning for the rest of the year and fortunately, they were left with no homework. Soon enough, it was time for lunch. She gathered her things and walked out of the room but was soon stopped by Hermione.

"Hey, Lora, look I'm sorry I didn't wait, I-just-something, yeah, something came up…" Hermione said a bit nervously.

_There has got to be a good reason why she's hesitating. _"What? Oh yeah, sure, no problem… Shall we go to lunch?" Ellora said smoothly as Hermione nodded her head enthusiastically. The two of them headed off to lunch, talking eagerly about the potential of their classes and they found Ron and Harry already eating in the Great Hall. Ellora piled up food onto her plate and proceeded to conquer it. While she was engrossed in her food, she barely noticed Ron and Hermione bickering about something or the other.

"You heard about Sirius Black, right?" Harry asked suddenly.

"Yes…" Ellora raised an eyebrow at him.

"Okay."

"That's not weird or anything. What kind of conversation starter is Sirius Black?"

"It was just a question!"

"Uh huh."

"Right then, shall we go to Care of Magical Creatures?"

"Yeah…" Ellora still regarded Harry with a bit of apprehension. And so the four of them gathered their things and walked to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, near Hagrid's hut. It seemed like Ron and Hermione were not speaking to each other, unsurprisingly. They all waved to Hagrid and once everyone reached the door of his hut, he took them to the edge of the forest.

"How are we supposed to open these bloody books?" Draco Malfoy muttered.

"Yer supposed to stroke 'em! Thought that was pretty obvious…" Hagrid said to Malfoy.

"Oh, how silly of me! I didn't quite realize we were only supposed to _stroke_ them!" Malfoy said sarcastically.

"Quit being a little girl, Malfoy!" Ellora said to him with a roll of her eyes.

"Don't talk to me like that, _Prem_," He glared at her for a moment and then smirked widely at her, as if he knew something she didn't. She narrowed her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him. He raised a blonde eyebrow at her and she rolled her eyes again.

Hagrid had brought out a Hippogriff for the first day of class. Most of the students were frightened of it, but Ellora thought it had a sort of tragic beauty to it. Hagrid called for volunteers and somehow Harry ended up introducing himself to Buckbeak. He looked nervous but calmed down once Buckbeak bowed to him. And then Hagrid told him to do the unthinkable.

Hagrid told him to fly on Buckbeak. Everyone in the class gasped and Harry looked more than hesitant. But of course, Harry had unwavering faith in Hagrid, so he went through with it. He got on top of Buckbeak and he flapped his metallic colored wings and with a great burst of speed, they were gone, soaring over the blue skies. Harry felt invincible as Buckbeak skimmed the lake and rose back up into the sky. He felt like he could do anything he set his mind to and this euphoria lasted even after Buckbeak had landed.

All the Gryffindors were clapping enthusiastically and the Slytherins were scowling, as usual. Since Draco Malfoy had an inferiority complex, he decided the best way to show Harry Potter up was to ride this thing better than he did.

"Can't be that hard, can it? After all, you're only a bloody chicken…" He said to Buckbeak.

And that's when all hell broke loose. Buckbeak roared angrily and Malfoy raised his arms for protection. His arm was slashed as Buckbeak attacked him and Hagrid subdued him. People were screaming and running all over the place. Malfoy cried out several times, claiming that he needed to go to the Hospital Wing and that his father would indeed hear about this. Ellora rolled her eyes. _Bloody theatrics. _Hagrid let them leave class early.

"You don't think Hagrid will be sacked for this, will you?" Hermione said fearfully as they walked back to Hogwarts.

"I hope not… It's Malfoy's word against all of ours. He bloody provoked Buckbeak!" Ellora said angrily.

Harry sighed and said, "We know, but Malfoy's dad's worse than he is. I guess we'll just have to wait and see…"

The four of them trudged up to the castle and Ellora decided to write to her parents and then perhaps get a head start on her homework. She said goodbye to Harry, Ron, and Hermione and went up to Gryffindor Tower. She gave the Fat Lady the password- 'Fortuna Major'- and bounced her way up to the girls' dormitory. She wrote a long letter to her parents about how her classes were going, even though it was only the first day, about how she had met some new people, and about how the professors were all looking at her quite strangely. She chalked it up to her imagination, but she couldn't help but be unsettled by it. While she was looking for an envelope, she found Tinker, who went missing for days on end, sleeping under her comforter.

Ellora's parents probably wouldn't be expecting anything this early, but she was determined to make her relationship with her parents more than just complacent. She was going to put an effort into being involved with her parents' lives from now on. With this warm revelation, she skipped down to the Owlery to mail the letter to her parents.

She hoped they wouldn't be _too_ surprised when the owl would fly through the window.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this took a while to get out, I rewrote it about 3 times before I was content with it! Thank you for all the wonderful & encouraging reviews! You know the drill, read & review please :D Hello Brooklyn (the song title of this chapter) is by All Time Low =)**


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